What exactly happens when a retina detaches?
The jelly-like material that fills most of the eye is called the vitreous humor. It has fiber like strands in it that attach it to the retina. Sometimes these strands will pull on the retina and they can detach it from the back of the eye. If this happens the retina can often be reattached using a laser. If this cannot happen, or too much time has passed, the retina may lose part of its function. Q: I know we touched on this subject in class, but I was wondering what causes people to have occasional swallowing problems? It’s not a frequent issue, but sometimes it is hard for me to swallow food. Thanks a lot! A: There are many possible reasons. Probably the most common is dry mouth which can be normal or due to an abnormal condition. There also can be a variety of abnormalities in the muscles or nerves of the swallowing mechanism, and therefore a specialist, for example an ear, nose, and throat doctor, should be consulted.
